House Calls
by SylphinesBane
Summary: Denzel is sick and requests something of Cloud that causes some slight drama. Rated M for adult situations later on in the story.


I do not own any of these characters or places. Everything is owned by the wonderful Square Enix.

It was the time of day when the shadows grow long and lights blink on inside homes and businesses that cater to those who find comfort and solace in the anonymity of night. Tifa was busy this night, just like every night at Seventh Heaven. She saw the sun's last rays as they broke through the thirsty crowd in front of her. It was an organized and controlled pocket of chaos, as customers jostled each other for her attention. Successful ones melted through the throng trying not to spill the precious liquid they protected as though it was a bit of the lifestream itself. Failures, waited with a restrained impatience, tapping fingers, gil, and empty glasses, leaning forward over the bar with anticipation.

"I need to hire help," Tifa thought to herself as she balanced two ice-filled glasses in one hand, while wetting those contents with amber liquid and trading those for the outstretched gil being waved in her direction.

This was her night: a blur of glasses, gil, spilled alcohol, and the waves of customers, their voices reaching a crescendo as their numbers increased. She was thankful for their forced patience, she was the only one who could serve them, but they knew her and Cloud's glaring stare enough to never demand too much. Speaking of said man,

"Where is he….?" Tifa thought to herself, when she finally had a chance to think of something other than a drink or food order shouted at her from across a sea of people.

Was it late? Should he have been home already? Did he even say he was going to be late? Were the contemplations that entered her mind as her body continued to serve people unconsciously. She snuck a peek at the clock behind her and sighed, at first in frustration (it was only 8:30) and then in slight concern. She knew that he usually didn't make deliveries at night, who would want something brought to them when their business was already closed for the day? She forced herself to stop thinking of Cloud and concentrate on her various tasks at hand. He was an adult and could easily take care of himself, well when it came to using his sword to do the talking instead of his mouth. She smiled at herself with that last thought before the clinking of gil on the counter drew her attention away.

. . .

Now, it was late, is what the clock behind her screamed as its second hand slowly ticked past the hour of 11:30. She had stopped wiping down the counter to stare at the time piece and then the door, as though her will would smash it open and throw Cloud into the bar. She sighed as she looked down at the alcohol drenched counter and the dripping towel in her hand. She was tired, not only of the constant waiting she endured with Cloud but also the work that still hand its hands on its hips and an impatient tapping foot that she had to answer to.

"I should call him," She spoke aloud to the empty room. The stools and tables stood silent, not seeming to care whether she actually picked up the phone or not. Not waiting for an answer she dumped the soaking towel on the bar and walked into the kitchen, where her phone sat watch over a darkened room. The only illumination came from the digital clock, blinking away the seconds on the stove. The eerie green glow easily outlined the phone sitting on the counter. As soon as she picked up the phone, the door leading from the kitchen to the alley that she used the dumpster for the bar's trash, clicked open. Her heart jumped as she gasped to herself, pulling the phone to her chest and backing away from the intrusion. The door, released somewhat forcefully from its lock, swung wide as Cloud softy cursed under his breath struggling to regain control of the unwieldy entrance. Several items leap from his crowded arms, as he tried to fight against the noise he was now creating. Gentle laughter from across the room caught him red-handed, causing him to drop the remainder of the items he was carrying.

"I was just about to call you," Tifa smiled as she reached for the light switch to her right. Her smile quickly faded when she saw what the darkness had been concealing. Cloud looked terrible and the mess at his feet was even worse. He had been balancing containers of food, which now lay splattered all over the floor and his pants.

"I'm sorry Tifa, I meant to call you, but I …." He stared as he bent down to try and release the floor from its messy burden. "I got stuck in Wutai, you know how Yuffie's dad can be. He insisted that I stay for dinner." He glanced up at her apologetic, as she strode over to him and then knelt down to help pick up spilled, now empty, containers.

"I see that you already ate at least." She replied slowly, with a touch of annoyance, putting what she already gathered from the floor into the sink. She grabbed a roll of paper towels that were within reach of her grasp and proceeded to unravel sheets to start the cleanup. He quickly stood up when he saw what she was doing.

"No, no, let me I made the mess." He held out a dirty hand for the paper towels that wrapped around her arm like a giant bandage. She gave him a small smile and held her arm out. He quickly de-mummified her and returned to his cleanup. She turned her back on him to return to her own cleanup when he spoke,

"Tifa?" She stopped and stood for a moment before turning around to look at him. He looked ridiculous, half covered in sauces, bits of meat, and chunks of what looked like vegetables. The mounds of filthy paper towels balled up around his boots appeared like discarded ideas from someone with a horrible case of writer's block. She knew what he was going to say, what he was going to ask, because she hadn't said more than a few words to him when he came in the door.

"I'm fine. It was busy tonight, I need to finish out there." She said with gentle reassurance, giving him a tired smile before turning back around to tackle the mess that eagerly awaited her return.

. . .

"Tifa, what's all this?" Marlene asked as she stood in front of the open refrigerator. Tifa reluctantly pulled her gaze away from her half lifted coffee mug to answer Marlene.

"Food from Yuffie's dad. Cloud brought it home last night. He was helping set up for a festival and her dad gave him some food to bring home." She answered, finally taking a wonderful sip of coffee.

"Oh." She answered, letting the door close on its own. She walked over to the table and sat down across from Tifa. She began swinging her legs back and forth, occasionally kicking the table accidently. Before Tifa could tell her to stop, Cloud entered the kitchen still dressed in the black sweatpants and semi-tight T-shirt he had worn to bed. Tifa struggled to pull her gaze away from what the T-shirt clearly flattered, quickly shoving her face into her coffee mug.

"Cloud! Cloud! That food in there, can I have some later?" Marlene exploded, jumping up from where she sat to stand in front of Cloud. He gave her a small smile before answering her.

"Of course, but you will need to share with Denzel." He responded looking to Tifa to see if she would add anything to his casual answer. The girl beamed up at Cloud before running off to share the news with Denzel. Cloud pulled out the chair Marlene had just occupied and seated himself with a soft sigh. He glanced at Tifa who replied with a smile before averting her eyes back to her coffee. She heard the chair protest as Cloud pushed himself away from the table and pour himself a cup and sit back down across from her.

"Besides the food accident last night, did everything go ok?" She finally asked him as she glanced away from her mug to his face. He was looking down and to his left as though he was contemplating something. He quickly met her glance and cleared his throat.

"Yeah, " He shifted in the chair moving closer to the table, to her. "it's a lot of moving stuff around and putting tents together, nothing too exciting, but the pay is good." His attention was no longer to his left but on her.

"You look tired," He said softly reaching across the table to touch her hand that was holding the coffee mug. She looked down at her hand and smiled, before looking back at Cloud.

"Last night was busy, I was thinking I should hire some help." She replied , relishing the rare moment that was happening right in front of her, his show of concern and his soft touch.

"Maybe you should go back to sleep…" He started to say before she stood up, interrupting him.

"I'm fine Cloud, I've handled tougher stuff than a crowd of drunken customers." She chuckled as she put her empty mug in the sink and started to clear the table of breakfast dishes.

"Ok." He replied, putting his hands up in defeat. Marlene suddenly burst into the kitchen,

"Tifa, Tifa! Denzel says he doesn't feel good!" She exclaimed, slightly breathless from running.

"Oh? Where is he, still in bed?" She asked turning around to face her.

"Yeah." She grabbed Tifa's hand and pulled her past Cloud of the kitchen and upstairs, where Denzel lay softly moaning in his bed under the covers.

"Denzel? Are you ok?" Tifa asked concerned as she sat on the edge of his bed and tried to pull back the covers. He gripped the covers tightly, yanking them away from Tifa as she pulled them away from his head.

"Denzel…" Tifa scolded gently, she placed her hand on the lump under the blanket, not sure if it was his head or his body. She shook her head and stood up to get a thermometer, when she almost ran into Cloud in the doorway.

"Is he ok?" He asked leaning to look around Tifa into the bedroom the children shared.

"I don't know, he's hiding under the blankets. I'm going to get a thermometer from the bathroom." She replied with a tired sigh as she shifted to let Cloud into the room as she walked out of it. She returned quickly to find Denzel sitting up in bed and Cloud next to him, talking to him softly. Denzel gave her a sad look as Cloud put his hand on the boy's shoulder as though to reassure him. She knelt in front of him and coxed him into letting her put the thermometer into his mouth. Tifa then carefully touched his forehead and then his cheek.

"He's hot Cloud." She stated looking up at Cloud. The boy tried to pull himself from Tifa's reach, but Cloud's firm hand on his shoulder held him in place.

"It's ok Denzel."

"I'm going to call a doctor." She said as she stood up and gently took the thermometer from Denzel's mouth.

"No! No! I don't need a doctor!" Denzel yelled diving under the blankets again.

"Denzel, you have a fever…" Tifa tried to explain before the boy interrupted her.

"Then make Cloud go too!" He shouted from the safely of blanket shelter. Tifa looked to Cloud who wore a surprised expression on his face. He slowly averted his gaze before standing up and walking out of the room. Tifa stayed behind to talk to Denzel briefly before following Cloud. He had entered his room, but left the door slightly open.

"Cloud, can I come in?" She asked, easing the door open and peeking inside.

"You're as bad as Denzel, running and hiding…" She stopped herself realizing she didn't want to go down that avenue of conversation with him right now. She didn't want to bring up old wounds. He was standing in front of his desk, but turned around half way to the sound of her voice. She couldn't help but admire his profile for a moment, in that semi-tight T-shirt he was wearing. The way his chest rose and fell with each breath, how the shirt hugged his biceps, the V-neck collar giving a tiny hint of the muscles-

"Tifa?" He asked , turning fully around to face her with a touch of concern in his voice. She hated how he taunted her without even trying. She closed the space between them, carefully putting her hand on the arm he once hid from her. She saw him look away, as though embarrassed .

"Cloud, maybe Denzel is right?" He completely turned away from her before she could say anything else.

"When was the last time you went to a doctor?" She asked her hand slipping from his arm. Without saying anything, his movement away from her created such a gap, she felt like she stood alone in his room.

"Please, talk to me…." Tifa said softly. She didn't want to plead, but she knew the subject was going to be a hard one to discuss with him.

"No." He replied coldly, turning his head toward her and glaring at her from the corner of his eye.

"Fine then." She wasn't going to push the issue again if he was going to be nasty. She practically stomped out of his room and slammed the door behind her.

. . .

"Tifa….." Her name. It was spoken almost with hesitation.

"Tifa…..?" A question? Why was her name a question? Yes, she was Tifa.

"Tifa, it's Cloud, I, uh, I need to talk to you." This time she knew it wasn't a dream. She had slept in her room that night. She wasn't going to go to bed angry sleeping next to him, she'd rather sleep alone. She forced herself out of the ravine of blissful, ignorant sleep, knowing that it was hard for him to come forward and ask to talk to her. She sat up and saw his form standing next to her bed. She needed to be understanding, be patient, she told herself, this was Cloud.

"I'm listening." She said gently, taking a slow breath.

"Do you want me to go…..to a doctor?" He asked, the darkness hiding the struggle she could hear in his voice.

"You know that I worry about you Cloud and I know why you don't want to go. I'm not asking you to forget Hojo, I'm asking you because I care about you, because you are important in my life and I don't want anything to happen to you." She spoke from the heart, letting the dense night of the room bear the weight of her words that she knew she might have trouble saying were it not dark. It was then she felt his arms, strong around her, holding her close. The weight of him sitting on her bed felt comforting and she was suddenly mad at herself for sleeping in her room. He released his grip but continued to sit on her bed in front of her.

"I…I'll go because you want me to and because Denzel won't go unless I do." He said with surrender in his voice. She took his face in her hands and leaned forward to kiss him, to let him know she was there for him, but he turned his face away.

"Goodnight Tifa." He was standing and out of the room before she realized what had happened.

. . .

Tifa had decided to take Cloud and Denzel to WRO to see a doctor. She had contacted Reeve the day before and was glad he was sensitive to the situation. She knew that he had enough knowledge of Cloud's background to understand her concern as well as access to any medical records that might still exist.

"Tifa, you don't need to worry I'll ask the head of the medical department to see him." He said with a causal confidence. She was worried though, as she glanced at Cloud next to her in the truck and Denzel huddled in the back seat with Marlene. He wouldn't meet her gaze and had hardly spoken to her that morning. He's mad at me, she thought sadly, but damn, it's for his own good! She was still lost in her thoughts when she finally pulled into the WRO hospital parking lot. She parked close to the front and stepped out of the truck to help Denzel and Marlene, she found Cloud standing in front of her.

"I'm not mad at you Tifa. I just…" His voice trailed off as he finally met her eyes.

"Cloud, thank you for doing this for me." She smiled and gently took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He flashed her a rare smile before taking Denzel's hand and walking into the front door of the facility.

Once inside, Tifa pointed to the welcoming couches and stepped up to the front desk.

"Good morning, how can I help you?" The young woman behind the desk asked.

"Cloud and Denzel are here for appointments." She responded looking down to notice Marlene standing close to her. She touched her shoulder and gestured over to where Cloud and Denzel were sitting. The woman nodded and began typing on her computer before she turned back to Tifa and answered her.

"Yes I see, I'll let their doctors know. A nurse will be out to see to them in just a few minutes. If you don't mind waiting?" She said politely with a practiced professional smile.

"Thank you." Tifa walked over to where the others were seated. Cloud was glancing around the waiting area when not staring at this feet and Denzel looked miserable. He was wrapped in a blanket huddled against Cloud. His face was pale and he appeared to be sleeping. Tifa leaned over him and gently felt his forehead. He was burning. The boy opened his eyes and moaned softly. She gave him a reassuring smile and sat down next to him. Marlene was walking around the waiting area looking at the various magazines and books scattered on the tables near some of the couches.

"Cloud?" A woman's voice questioned. Tifa looked up to see a nurse standing a few feet away holding a clipboard. Cloud slowly stood up and turned to Tifa.

"I'll be here waiting." She said to his tired glance, she reached for his hand and gave another gentle squeeze. He nodded and followed the nurse off.

"How are you today?" The nurse asked Cloud as she led him through a small maze of closed and open doors.

"A little tired." He answered following her while looking at the various doors they passed.

"Right here Cloud." She gestured to an open door at the end of a hallway. He entered the room and heard the door close softly behind him. The nurse had entered the room with him, she was looking over the clipboard she held in her hand. The room was small, there was an exam table in the middle with a curtain half drawn around it. The blind-covered window spanned most of one of the walls and a small couch sat in front of it. A large desk was squeezed in between where the window began and the corner of the wall. The nurse spoke before he had a chance to completely look at the rest of the room.

"Could you have a seat on the exam table please? I'm going to let the doctor know you ready." She gave him a pleasant smile before walking out of the room. He sat down on the table, which felt more like a bed, just as the door opened again and an older woman entered.

"Cloud? I'm Dr. Montgomery, how are you today?" She was of average height and appeared to be in her mid-50's. She wore a white jacket with light blue pants and shirt, which seemed to be what a surgeon would wear. She had a stethoscope around her neck and was carrying the clipboard the nurse had been holding. Her short brown hair was sprinkled with grey and the fine lines around her eyes and mouth deepened with her warm smile. The air about her was relaxed and comforting, it set Cloud's mind at ease.

"I'm ok, thank you." He replied. Why had he let Tifa talk him into this? He hated doctors, barely remembering the last time he had been one, which was back in Mideel when he was confined to a wheel chair and suffering from mako poisoning. Even when he was stricken with geostigma, he had hidden it from everyone.

"Just ok?" She gave him a teasing smile before continuing, "What brings you here today?"

"A…friend wanted me to come." He answered still unsure how to refer to Tifa.

"Was there a reason your friend might have wanted you to come?" She asked walking closer to where he sat on the table.

"She worries about me." He answered smiling briefly to himself.

"Aahh, I see," she nodded, understanding and then continued, "It's been some time since you've had a physical." She stated looking at the clipboard, before looking back at him. "Perhaps that's why." She gave him a friendly smile before putting the clipboard on the desk and walking to his left.

"Can you take your gloves off please?" He pulled off both of his gloves and sat them on his thigh. She gently took his left hand, turned it palm up and placed two fingers against his wrist while looking at the watch on hers. She released his wrist when she was finished and pulled, what looked like a pen from the pocket of her jacket. She clicked it twice; it was a small light.

"I'm just going to check your eyes ok?" She flashed the light into each of his eyes and few times and then reached for her clipboard to make some notes before putting it down again. With the light still in her hand she checked his throat before finally tucking the light away in her pocket. She then reached for something against the wall Cloud hadn't noticed before.

"This will take your blood pressure." She explained, wrapping the band around his arm. She pressed a button on the device and waited while it compressed against his arm and then released. She unbound his arm, studied the device, and made some notes on the clip board again.

"All right, almost done Cloud, if you could just remove your shirt please." She smiled, sitting the clip board down and moving to his left. He sighed and began loosening and removing the various buckles that held his pauldron and the half shirt he wore at his waist. Dr. Montgomery held out her hands to take those items from him once he had taken then off and she placed them on the couch behind her. He then tugged on the zipper of his sweater pulling it down and unhooking. He pulled his sweater off and handed that to the doctor as well. She moved back to his left and lifted the stethoscope from around her neck and placed the ends in her ears.

"It will be cold, I'll warm it in my hand first ok?" She said stated as she held the end of the instrument in her hand before carefully pressing it to his back.

"Take a deep breath." She requested, listening intently as he inhaled and then exhaled. She moved the instrument on his back and asked him again to breathe deeply. She then listened as he breathed normally for a few minutes, moving the stethoscope around his back.

"Good." She said with reassurance as she moved the instrument to the center of his chest. She again asked him for a few deep breathes as she placed the stethoscope against a few areas of his chest. She then listened to the normal beat of his heart before removing the stethoscope from his chest and placing it back around her neck.

"Am I ok?" He asked with some hesitation. She had been reaching for the clip board and she paused to look up at him. She gave him a wide smile before answering.

"You're in very good health Cloud. Although do you seem a bit fatigued. Have you been having any trouble sleeping or working longer hours than normal?" She questioned, a hint of concern in her voice.

"Both." He answered, slightly embarrassed at having his weakness exposed and admitting to it at the same time.

She handed him his shirt before responding, "It's all right, it happens to everyone at some time or another. I'm going to prescribe you something to help you sleep and I'd like too see you again in about week, is that ok?" She asked flashing him that motherly, comforting smile.

"I need to come back?" He asked as he zipped up his shirt.

"It's just a precaution. You have a…complicated medical history, I just want to make sure what I will be prescribing you is working." She replied, taking care to choose her wording carefully.

"Oh, right." He nodded, breaking eye contact with her at the mention of his past medical records.

She stepped over to the desk and began scribbling on a small pad of paper. She tore off the sheet and handed it to him.

"Just take this to the pharmacy here and they will fill it for you. You can finish getting dressed and I will meet you by the front desk to schedule another appointment." She smiled again before taking the clip board and walking out of the room. Cloud sat there staring at the paper in his hand before hopping off the table and putting the rest of this clothes back on. A nurse met him when he opened the door,

"I'll show you back to lobby, it can be a bit confusing in here with all the rooms." She said politely. He nodded in response and followed her back to the front of the building. He saw Tifa still sitting on the couch leaning over and talking to Marlene, Denzel was no where in sight. As though knowing he was there, she looked up and smiled. Cloud stopped in front of the main desk, where Dr. Montgomery was waiting. He heard Tifa come up behind him

"Everything ok Cloud?" She asked, he could hear some apprehension in her voice.

"Yeah. I just need to come back next week. I'm ok." He replied, turning in her direction and stating quickly seeing the worry on her face.

"Here you are Cloud. I'll see you next week." Dr. Montgomery said handing him an appointment card before walking away.

"Cloud-" Tifa began before he interrupted her.

"We can talk later, where is Denzel?" He asked looking around for the boy, while walking to where Marlene was sitting. The girl was busying herself with Tifa's cell phone.

"A nurse came out and told me that he probably has the flu, but the doctor is just doing a few more tests." She said, sounding a bit relived, that a cause for his fever had been found. She was just about to say something when a nurse called her name. She walked over to where the woman was standing and spoke to her briefly before walking back to Cloud and Marlene.

"The nurse wants me to come and get Denzel. Then we need to find the pharmacy." She stated looking at the paper in her hand. Cloud nodded in response and watched Tifa walk off.

"Are you ok Cloud?" Marlene asked staring up at him.

"Yeah I'm just tired." He sat down next to her and glanced at the prescription the doctor had given him.

"What's that?" The girl asked, reaching over his lap to look at the paper.

"Something I need to pick up." He answered slowly.

"Tifa was real worried…" She said softly trying to catch his stare. He looked over at her, she appeared to be a bit mad.

"About me?" He stated more than asked. Marlene nodded roughly.

"Yeah, you need to stop making her sad, she likes you a lot Cloud." She scolded. He smiled at her unabashed truthfulness.

"I like her a lot too." He replied, suddenly realizing that someone was standing near him and Marlene. He looked up and saw Tifa and Denzel. He quickly stood up.

"We ready?" He asked gazing down at the quiet Denzel and up at Tifa. She had a wide smile on her face. She reached over the small gap between them and took his hand.

"Yeah." She replied faintly. She practically beamed when he released her hand and put his arm around her waist, letting her lead the four of them to where the pharmacy was located.

. . .

"She said you are fatigued?" Tifa asked Cloud that night as the two of them settled down for bed. She was holding the bottle of sleeping pills and reading the label as he swallowed a pill with water.

"Yeah." He said sitting down on the bed they shared. She was standing in front of him, wearing an old pair of shorts and one of his T-shirts. She looked past the bottle at him and smiled.

"Then let me help you relax ok? Lay down." She said motherly, placing the pill bottle on the night stand next to the bed. He gave her a skeptical look. She smiled and blushed slightly.

"I want to rub your back and shoulders, Cloud. Lay down and take your shirt off." She stated sitting next to him on the bed. He pulled off the T-shirt he was wearing and laid stomach down on the bed. He felt the bed shift as she moved over him and realized with slight surprise she was straddling his upper thighs. She began gently rubbing his shoulders.

"You're really tense." She said, her voice heavy with disbelief. She pressed her fingertips a little harder into his shoulders and continued to rub. He didn't respond to her comment in words. He released a heavy breath and closed his eyes. Her hands felt fantastic. He felt himself beginning to doze off as her hands worked their way slowly down this rib cage. Now that feels really good, his sleep-induced brain thought. His body was telling him in other ways how wonderful Tifa's hands felt on his back. His foggy thoughts began to clear and he inhaled sharply. Her hands instantly stopped.

"Cloud? Are you ok? Did I hit a sore spot?" She asked leaning over to his face. He quickly rolled onto his back, gently gripping her arms so she didn't go flying off the bed. He sat up and pulled her into his lap. Her legs were straddling his waist as he eased her closer to his chest and carefully pressed his lips to hers. He felt her hands gently caress his chest and feel his heartbeat before she wrapped them around his neck and accepted his attentions. His lips moved slowly against hers for several minutes before she peeled them off of his to take a breath. She rested her forehead against his and slowly breathed him in before speaking.

"I guess you are ok." She giggled quietly as he cupped her head in his hands and stoked the sides of head behind her ears with his thumbs. She slowly rubbed his shoulders again before sliding her hands back to his chest. He inhaled deeply as she caressed his chest.

"Relax Cloud, your heart is pounding." She whispered, running her fingers over several scars in the center of his chest. She smiled that she could touch his scars and he didn't flinch. She felt and saw his chest rise in a deep breath.

"You're not really helping." He smiled leaning toward her lips again. She moved away in a teasing manner giving him a coy, sideways glance.

"Didn't the doctor want you to get more rest? You said I wasn't helping." She replied, slipping off of his waist. She stifled a laugh as he grabbed her and pulled her down on the bed next to him. He eased her onto her back as he rolled to his side next to her. He rested his hand on her thigh and ran his fingers up and down her leg.

"Clo-" She started, before he silenced her with a slow, strong kiss. His hand went from her thigh to her waist and from her waist to under her shirt. She felt his warm hand gently outline her breasts before resting in between them.

"Your heart is pounding too." He stated is a low whisper, before pressing his lips to hers again. She inhaled as she felt his hand move slowly over her rib cage and then back to her breast. A soft moan formed in her throat as she felt his thumb press delicately into her nipple. His hand glided back down to her ribs, resting there. He was feeling every breath she took as her ribs expanded and relaxed against his palm. His hand slipped gently to her waist as they continued to kiss. Tifa turned toward him wrapping her right arm around his neck and pulling herself closer to him. She pushed her breasts to his chest and felt him yield to her as he gently fell onto his back. She felt his breathing begin to relax and his lips become slack, she eased her lips off of his.

"You ok?" She asked caressing his face. He nodded and then she noticed the glazed look in his eyes, the sleeping pill was punching him right in the face. She felt his hands lazily rubbing her lower back as his eyelids began to droop.

"I'm tired." He stated, trying to fight the sleep that was quickly overcoming him.

"Sshh." Tifa responded, leaning over him to turn off the light. She pulled the covers over the both of them, before snuggling against Cloud's body. She could already hear the slow deep breathing of his sleep and the strong yet relaxed pump of his heart. She smiled as she drifted off into her own sleep.


End file.
